Car coat hanger



R. A. soRENsEN 3,394,911

CAR COAT HANGER 6 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet l FIZ-1T. l, ,l

July 30. i968 Filed July y j rra/rA/ys july 30, 1968 n. A. som-:NSEM 3,394,911

CAR COAT HANGER Filed July 6, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. .Paas/P I. .Sb/Paauw rrazMe-ys United States Patent C) 3,394,911 CAR COAT HANGER Roger A. Sorensen, 2048 Giesmann Ave., St. Paul, Minn. 55113 Filed July 6, 1966, Ser. No. 563,172 10 Claims. (Cl. 248-293) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A garment hanger assembly mounted in a passenger compartment of an automobile having a bracket secured to the side of the roof of the automobile. A horizontal pin mounts a coil spring on the bracket. One end of the spring is an elongated arm connected to the neck of a hanger having outwardly directed arms.

Summary of invention The invention relates to a hanger and more particularly to a hanger assembly having a movable arm releasably connected to a hanger member movable to a garment carrying position and biased to a storage position.

Briefly described, the hanger assembly of the invention has a base which is readily attachable to a support and a hanger member adapted to carry a garment, as a coat or the like. The hanger member is normally held in a storage position requiring a minimum of space and is readily moved from the storage position to a garment carrying position. A movable arm is releasably attached to the hanger member. The arm is biased to a first position for yieldably holding the hanger member in the storage position. A biasing member connected to the arm is carried on the base which is adapted to be secured to the support.

In use, the base is attached to a support, as the side of the roof of the passenger compartment of an automobile. The biasing means yieldably holds the arm in an up position locating the hanger member against the top inside wall of the roof. The hanger member and the arm are moved down from the storage position to a garment holding position. With the garment on the hanger member the weight of the garment holds the hanger member in the garment holding position against the force of the biasing means. As soon as the garment is removed from the hanger member the biasing means forces the arm and hanger member back to the storage position.

In the drawings:

FIGURE l is an elevational view of the hanger assembly of the invention mounted on the inside of the roof of a motor vehicle showing the hanger member in the down position carrying a coat;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2 2 showing the hanger member in the up storage position;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the hanger assembly;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 6 is an exploded view showing the connection between the hanger member and movable arm.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown in FIGURE 1 the hanger assembly of this invention indicated generally at 10 mounted on a support 11. A garment 12, as a coat, dress or the like, is carried by the hanger assembly. Support 11 is shown as a side section of the roof of a motor vehicle. The passenger compartments of motor vehicles, as automobiles, normally include garment hooks 13 attached to the roof frame by fastening members 14, as screws. These hooks are used to support conventional hangers uses to carry garments.

Referring to FIGURES 3 and 4, hanger assembly 10 comprises a bracket indicated generally at 16 having a flat base 17 formed with an outwardly inclined upper section 18. An elongated upright slot 19 is located in the midportion of upper section 18. Integral with the sides of base 17 are outwardly projected flanges 21 and 22. The upper sections of the flanges diverge outwardly along the edges of upper section 18. The diverging section of anges 21 and 22 and upper section 18 of the base provide additional space adjacent the sides of slot 19 permitting bracket 16 to accommodate various shaped hooks 13 used with the different models of motor vehicles.

A biasing means indicated generally at 23, shown as a torsion coil spring, is located between flanges 21 and 22 about a transverse pin or rivet 24 mounted on the flanges 21 and 22. The spring has a short leg 26 which bears against base 17 thereby anchoring one end lof the spring. The opposite end of the spring has an outwardly projected arm 27 biased toward upper section 18. Arm 27 is longer than leg 26 and is releasably connected to a hanger member indicated generally at 28 used to carry garment 12.

Hanger member 28 is a one-piece wire member having a pair of oppositely directed arms 29 and 31 which diverge in a downward direction and terminate in turned ends 32 and 33 respectively. The midportion of hanger member 28 has an inverted U-shaped neck 34 having a bight 36. The legs of neck 34 are substantially parallel to each other and positioned closely adjacent each other to accommodate a U`shaped end 37 of arm 27. End 37 has a bight 38 adapted to extend across the mouth formed by adjacent ends of arms 29 and 31. Arm 27 h-as a U-shaped bend forming a notch 39 for accommodating bight 36 of the hanger member when the hanger member is attached to the arm.

As shown in FIGURE 5, when hanger member 28 is attached to arm 27, bight 36 is located in the notch 39 and bight 38 of arm 27 is located in the mouth of the hanger member thereby providing la secure but releasable connection which prevents the movement of the hanger member on arm 27 and eliminates twisting of the hanger member relative to arm 27. The U-shaped neck 34 of the hanger member coacts with the U-shaped end 37 of arm 27 to prevent rotation of the hanger member relative to the arm thereby keeping the garment aligned with the side of the automobile. The biasing spring 23 holds the hanger member away from the side of the automobile so that the garment will not catch or become lodged in the door or window of the vehicle.

As shown in FIGURE 2, the hanger assembly 10 is secured to the side of the roof of an automobile above window 41 with the fastening screw 14 used to hold garment hook 13 on the roof. To mount the hanger assembly fastening screw 14 is removed and upper section 18 is placed betwen the roof and garment hook 13. The fastening screw passes through garment hook 13 and elongated slot 19 in base section 18 into the roof to attach bracket 16 and the garment hook to the roof. This locates garment hook 13 in a position where it can be used to support the conventional hanger without removing hanger assembly 10.

Torsion coil spring 23 biases arm 27 in an up storage position holding hanger member 28 up against the roof or ceiling. In this up poistion both arm 27 and hanger member 28 utilize a minimum of space and do not interfere with the head room in the passenger compartment. Spring 23 yieldably holds the hanger member ends 32 and 33 in engagement with the ceiling whereby the hanger member 27 does not rattle or make other objectionable noises.

Garment 12 is placed on hanger member 28 by pulling arm 27 in a downward direction, as shown in broken lines in FIGURE 2, against the biasing force of coil spring 23. The weight of garment 12 holds arm 27 in a down position. Hanger member 28 may be removed from arm 27 by moving the hanger member in an upward direction relative to the arm thereby releasing the U-shaped neck 34 from the U-shaped end 37 of arm 27. Bight 36 being located in notch 37 releasably maintains the hanger member 28 on the lower end of the arm 27. Hanger member 28 can be replaced on the arm 27 by merely moving the U-shaped neck 34 over the U-shaped end 37 of arm 27 until bight 36 falls into notch 39.

The hanger assembly has been described as being mounted to the side of the roof of a passenger motor vehicle. It is understood that the hanger assembly may be used with other supports and in environments where it is desirable to have a hanger member stored in an unobstructive position and movable to a garment hanging position. It is further understood that various omissions, substitutions, changes in form and details of the hanger as sembly illustrated may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. The invention is defined in the following claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A hanger assembly comprising: a bracket securable to a support, .a hanger member having outwardly directed arms secured to a neck for carrying a garment, means mounted on the bracket to connect the hanger member to the bracket, said means including arm means connected to the neck of the hanger member, said arm means and hanger member selectively movable to a first position and a second position, and biasing means for yieldably holding the arm means and hanger member in the first position one end of said biasing means comprising said arm means.

2. The hanger assembly defined in claim 1 wherein said bracket has spaced flanges, said biasing means comprising a torsion coil spring located between said flanges, pin means mounted on said flanges mounting the coil spring on the bracket.

3. The hanger assembly defined in claim 1 wherein said bracket has an upper portion having diverging flanges and an elongated slot.

4. The hanger assembly defined in claim 1 wherein said neck of the hanger member and said arm means have coacting portions for releasably connecting the neck of the hanger member to the arm means.

5. The hanger Iassembly of claim 1 in combination with said support, fastening means securing the bracket to said support, said arm means being movable to a first up position and a second down position, said biasing means being a torsion coil spring biasing the arm means to the first up position, said arm means being movable to the second down position in response to a downward force on said arm means and being held in said second down position by the weight of a garment on the member.

6. The structure defined in claim 5 wherein said support is a section of the roof of an automobile.

7. A hanger -assembly comprising a bracket securable to a support, a hanger member for carrying a garment, said hanger member having outwardly projected arms secured together with an inverted U-shaped neck, means mounted on the bracket to connect the hanger member to the bracket, said means including arm means connected to the hanger member, said arm means movable to a first position and a second position, and biasing means for yieldably holding the arm means in the first position, said arm means having releasable connecting means cooperating with said U-shaped neck to releasably mount the hanger member on the arm means.

8. The hanger assembly defined in claim 7 wherein said bracket has spaced. fianges, said biasing means comprising: a torsion coil spring located between said flanges, pin means mounted on said flanges mounting the coil spring on the bracket, one end of said coil spring comprising said arm means.

9. The hanger assembly defined in claim 7 wherein said bracket has an upper portion having diverging anges and an elongated slot.

10. The hanger assembly of claim 7 in combination with said support, fastening means securing the bracket to said support, said arm means being movable to a first up position and a second down position, said biasing means being a torsion coil spring biasing the arm means to the first up position, said arm means being movable to the second down position in response to a downward force on said arm means and being held in said down position by the weight of the garment on the hanger member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,571,598 2/1926 Nordendale etal. 211-32 1,601,715 10/1926 Bryers 223-92 XR 1,631,355 6/1927 Baldwin 248-?295 XR 1,786,250 12/ 1930 Knoth.

2,071,257 2/ 1937 Hansen 248-293 XR ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner.

R. P. SEITTER, Assistant Examiner. 

